Electric lampholder



United States Patent O 3,339,172 ELECTRIC LAMPHOLDER Clarence Willans Heath, Bleasby, England, assignor to United-Carr Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Filed May18, 1964, Ser. No. 367,996 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 14, 1963, 23,861/ 63 6 Claims. (Cl. 339-61) This invention relates to holders for electric lamps of the kind having a flattened, oblong shaped base insertable into the holder and provided with external electrical contacts on its side walls.

The present invention provides a lamp holder of the kind referred to comprising a body formed of resilient or semi-resilient insulating material, the body including two connected and relatively movable portions each formed with a recess, the recesses being aligned to define a cavity for receiving the base of the lamp, part of each said body portion being movable in a direction radially of the cavity so as to be resiliently engageable with a lamp base when the latter is inserted into the cavity, the lamp being thereby retained in assembly with the holder with contacts on the base of the lamp engaging co-operating contacts on the holder and disposed in the cavity.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a holder according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line A-A of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing a lamp assembled with the holder;

FIGURE 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the panel.

As shown in the drawings, the holder is formed of resilient or semi-resilient insulating material such as synthetic plastics or rubber and comprises a body 1 closed at one end, a radial flange 2 at the open end of the body and a skirt 3 extending from the flange. As shown, the body is divided by an axial slot 4 into half portions 5, 6, which are relatively movable with respect to one another and connected by a web portion at the base of the body. Each body portion includes a flange portion 7 or 8 and a skirt portion 9 or 10. The body portions 5, 6, are formed with aligned recesses which co-operate to define a cavity for receiving the base of the lamp.

Each body portion 5, 6 further includes a relatively rigid side wall 6a integral with the flange portion, and an opposed flexible side wall 5a having its free end separated from the flange so as to be capable of movement in a direction radially of the lamp base receiving cavity relatively to the wall 6a. As shown, each wall 5a is formed with a projection 5b on its inner surface.

Strip contacts are assembled with the holder, each comprising an arm 11 extending axially over the inner face of the respective walls 6a, and an arm 12 extending radially outwardly over the respective flange portions 7, 8, this arm having an embossment such as a pip 13 adjacent its outer end. As shown, the contact is cranked at 14 to follow the contour of a portion of the inner wall of the housing so that it is self-retained in the cavity. The US. patent to Loesch, No. 3,017,599 discloses the manner in which -a contact of this general type may be retained by serrations in a housing.

3,339,172 Patented Aug. 29, 1967.

An electric lamp to be assembled with the holder is illustrated in FIGURE 4 and comprises a glass envelope 15 formed with an integral glass base 16 of flattened generally oblong-like shape having lead wires or contacts 17 extending along opposed side walls. Only one contact 17 is visible in FIGURE 4. As shown in FIGURE 4, the lamp base is inserted into the cavity of the body, the side walls 511 flexing outwardly to permit this insertion. When fully inserted, the projections 5b engage in recesses 16a in the side wall of the lamp base and resiliently retain the lamp in assembly and also ensure that the contacts 17 on the lamp base are resiliently maintained in engagement with the respective contact arms 11 positioned on the side walls 6a. The free ends of the side walls 5a are normally spaced from an inner edge 50 of the respective flange portions, and it will be noted from FIGURE 4 that when the lamp base is inserted into the holder the inner edges 50 serve as stops to limit the radially outward movement of the wall 5a.

It will be understood that the opposed side walls of the lamp base will be engaged by projections 5b on the respective yieldable walls 5a, and each of the contacts 17 on the opposed side walls of the base will be engaged with the arm 11 of one of the contacts in the holder.

The holder is primarily adapted for use with panels formed with printed circuitry, and when the holder is assembled with such a panel, the pips 13 are adapted to engage adjacent parts of the printed circuitry.

To facilitate assembly of the holder with a panel, each of the skirt portions 9, 10-, is formed with an arcuate shaped projection 18 which defines a cam surface 19 such that by inserting the skirt portions into the aperture in the panel and rotating the holder through a small angle, the panel will be clamped between portions of the cam surfaces and the flange portions 7, 8. Stops 20 are provided for limiting the rotational movement of the holder when it is assembled with a panel.

As shown, the skirt portions of the holder have outwardly tapered surfaces of frusto-conical shape to facilitate insertion into the aperture in the panel.

When the holder is assembled with the panel, the edges of the panel aperture will prevent outward radial movement of the parts of the holder, and accordingly the lamp will be securely retained in assembly.

I claim:

1. A lamp holder of the kind referred to comprising a body formed of resilient insulating material, said body having two connected and relatively movable portions, said movable portions being spaced from each other by a pair of longitudinal open ended slots extending axially the major portion of the length of the body and each of said movable portions having a flange extending radially therefrom, each of said flange portions having a skirt portion extending integrally outwardly therefrom, and each of said skirt portions having an integrally cammed shaped projection adapted to enter a slot in a panel and engage the panel between the projection and the flange on rotation of the body.

2. A lampholder according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the skirt portions are formed with cam surfaces engageable with an adjacent face of a support when the holder is assembled in an aperture therein.

3. A lampholder according to claim 2, wherein a striplike contacts are assembled in the body portions, each including an arm extending axially over the inner wall of the cavity, and a second arm extending radially outwardly over a flange portion.

4. A lampholder according to claim 3, wherein each radially extending arm is provided with an embossment for engagement with printed circuitry on a panel when the holder is assembled in an aperture therein.

5. A lamp holder as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inner wall of the cavity formed in said body has an integral inwardly extending projection adapted to engage in a recess in the side wall of a lamp base when the said lamp base is inserted into the cavity.

6. A holder for electric lamps of the kind referred to comprising a body formed of insulating material having an axially extending cavity for receiving the base of the lamp, the inner Wall of the cavity having integral inwardly extending means, engageable in a recess in the side wall of the lamp base when the latter is inserted into the cavity, said means comprising resilient integral lugs extending inwardly of opposed portions of the wall of the cavity and being offset one from the other, and each lug being opposite a contact secured in said holder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,043,499 6/ 1936 Vendope 3 3961 2,099,405 11/1937 Langdon 339-59 2,495,267 1/1950 Larson 3396'1 3,017,599 1/1962 Loesch 339-17 X 3,072,878 1/1963 Woodward et al. 339127 X 3,091,747 5/1963 Snikkers 339-61 3,143,301 8/1964 Trautner et al. 33959 X 3,206,708 9/1965 Fitz Gerald 3 39-427 X MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, ALFRED S. TRASK,

RICHARD E. MOORE, Examiners. 

6. A HOLDER FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS OF THE KIND REFERRED TO COMPRISING A BODY FORMED OF INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING CAVITY FOR RECEIVING THE BASE OF THE LAMP, THE INNER WALL OF THE CAVITY HAVING INTEGRAL INWARDLY EXTENDING MEANS, ENGAGEABLE IN A RECESS IN THE SIDE WALL OF THE LAMP BASE WHEN THE LATTER IS INSERTED INTO THE CAVITY, SAID MEANS COMPRISING RESILIENT INTEGRAL LUGS EXTENDING INWARDLY OF OPPOSED PORTIONS OF THE WALL OF THE CAVITY AND BEING OFFSET ONE FROM THE OTHER, AND EACH LUG BEING OPPOSITE A CONTACT SECURED IN SAID HOLDER. 